Collapsible tray for egg crates



-Aprl 17, 1928.

N. lsoYAMA v0011111611511: TRAY AFOR EGG cRATEs 1 Filed Aug. 11. 1926 liv Patented Apr. 17, 1928.

IAOIICHI IOYIA, 0l' LOB ANGELES, CLLIIORNI.

COLLAPBIBLE TRAY FOB IGG GRATIS.

Application lled August 11, 1926. lex-Isl No. 128,5".

In, the state of the art heretofore known it has been common to pack e gs for transportation and storage by supp ying a boxl or case made of wood or other strong material, with collapsible frames of cardboard notched together so as to form a considerable number of compartments, each of which is adapted to contain an egg and in the process of filling a case it is customary to separate said frames by sheets of cardboard or other like material, and when a frame is seated on such a sheet of cardboard in the case, the eggs may be inserted endwise into the compartments one by one, and are held by thev cardboard prtitions and compartment walls, from in jostled against each other, and layers of suc frames with their cardboard bottoms are placed in the case in this mannersuntil the case is full, whereupon the case may be stored or transported either with or without putting a cover on the case.

When the case is open it is often necessary or desirable that a dealer or an inspector shall examine the contents of. the case to determine whether all of the frames are full and it is also necessary for the dealer in selling a quantity of eggs less than what is contained in the case, to take the eg out of the compartments one by one and p ace them in another container having like artitions and adapted to contain s'uch smal er number of eggs as is commonly sold at retail, as for instance, one dozen or a half dozen.

` Such cases and frames are also found useful in transporting fruits that are likely to be crushed, and this invention is intended to be applicable for trays of various kinds and for various purposes.

It is desirable that the trays for holdin the lar er frames filled with e gs shall be o light, t in and strong materia and an object of this invention is to provide a tray of this ,character of minimum thinness of Walls combined with .the r uired strength and provided with cheap an"` simleehandles that are so strong that there will no dangeref their breaking or giving way to the injury :of the contents of the tray.

The invention broadl comprises a tray having bottom and outsi e walls with notches at their top edges and wires fastened tothe top edges of said walls, and extendin over the Anotches to serve as handles by, which the tra when filled with eggs can be lifted into an from the case or other large container. It 1s also desirable to make provision rectangular plate and rectangular side wall forming flaps hingedly connected tothe edges respectively of the plate, and I secure to the outer edge of each of the flaps a wire, havin hooks at its ends projecting from the ends o the flaps for the purpose of hookin togetherat the corners of the tray to hol the flaps up when the flaps are brought to upright position atright angles to the plate at one side thereof, and I rovide opposltely arranged flaps with opemn midwa between their ends which are bri ged b t eir wires respective so that the wires orm handles by which t e trays may be handled Said flaps may be variously constructed and the wires may be fastened to the portions thereof that are adapted to form the upper edges of the tray walls when the tray is set up as such.

' Convenience .of setting up the tray and collasping it are objects of the invention.

Other objects, advantages and features of invention may appear from the accompanying drawing, the sub'oined detailed description and the appende claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective broken view of an egg case and trays embodying the-invention and filled with eggs stored in its compartments.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental perspective view of a tray @illustrating the inven' tion omitting the egg frame.

Fig. 3 is a plan of the tray flattened out or collapsed. r

Fig. 4 is a plan of the gstamping prior to the application of the wire to the edges of the flaps. f

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross section of one of l The bottom plate-and its flaps are formed of one piece stamped out of cardboard, either plain or cellular, and creased or scored at the line ot their junction with the plate.

t indicates notches made in the edges ot the flaps of the stamping, and 5 Vindicates the wires having hooks 6 at their ends projecting from the upper corners ot the flaps when raised, and adapt/edi to be hooked tov gether to hold the 'laps in upright position.

lin the process of manufacturing the rectangular bottom plate and its four flaps will be stamped out in a single piece, the notches beinglout at the same stamping by a single die or if desired the stampingmay be made by more than one operation with more than one die.

rlhe wires in the form shown in Figs. 2 and 3 are placed against the edges of their Haps resplectively and tapes 7 coated on one face wit glue and creased longitudinally are applied over the wires, and the glue faces of the taple being rst moistened are brought' against t e faces of the flaps; or vice versa, the faces ont the aps may be moisten'ed and the glue faces of the tape brought against the same, lthus tixingithe wires to the edges of the aps. l

The tapes may be of any satisfactory strong material such as cheese cloth or any other fabric or strong oldable 'material which may be deemed suitable for the purpose.

The tape may be cut away or omitted at the notches or may be otherwise disposed ot as desired to leave satisfactory hnger holds at the notches.

ln practical use the crate comprising the case, y the trays and 'their contained egg trames affords a package ot eggs much more 'convenient for examination and tor handling the eggs than heretofore known; and to till the case with eggs the trays will be set u and the corners of the flaps of each tray will be hooked together, thus holding the walls of the trays upright and the frame will be illed with the eggs or other articles to be stored or transported, and the trays will be placed one on topv of another inside the case, thus forming a ackage theV contents of which can be rea ily examined by simply taking hold of the wires of the trays successively and lifting the trays individualfrom the case; and when the contents ot l the trays are disposed of, the trays may be aeeaeee idattened out and stored compactly one upon another in minimum space. The wires not only serving as handles but also as protection for the edges of the aps in the forms shown in Figs. L5.

ln the form shown in Fig. 6 the flaps 2 aremade ot extended height and are doubled over the wires at 8 at the height necessary to chamber the frames when the frames are in position to hold the eggs or other objects. ,f lt is understood that the bend of the flaps may be reinforced by tape as at 9 to receive the wires.

l claim: f

'1. The colla sible tray set forth comprisingna rectangu ar bottom plate, flaps hinged tothe edges of said plate and adapted to be brought into upright position to torm tour sides of a tray, and wires extending along the edges of the ilaps and fastened to said edges and projecting beyond the ends of the flaps and forming hooks for `engagement .with each other to hold the laps inl upright position, and adaptgd to be unhooked to allow the iaps'to be attened down into' the plane of the bottom plate.

2. A collapsible tray comprising a ,rectangular bottom plate, four aps hinged to the edges of said plate Aand constructed to form handles by which the bottom plate may be litted,V and wires extending along the edges of the aps andada ted to be hooked together at the corners o said deps to detachably fasten the flaps together to hold 'them in upright position, and to allow the tlaps to be untastened from each other to be tlattened down intothe plane of the bottom platefor 'storage or transportation.

3. A. collapsible crate comprising a bottom plateand :flaps oppositely arranged and hinged to said bottom plate; wire members detachably connected to each other'iat the ed e portions of said flaps; a strip bent over eac of the wire members and edges et the Haps and being cemented to the faces of the flaps to hold the Wires in lace on the edges thereof, andsaid flaps belng provided with notches bridged by the wires, so that the Wires may form handles by which the crates may be lifted by fingers thrust through the notches.

ln testimony whereof, l havephereunto se my hand at lios Angeles, California, this 4th day of August, 1926.

. 1 NAOKICH lSYAMA.

ica 

